U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Marketing and Regulatory Programs

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Veterinary Services 

VS Bulletin 2023.1 

_______________________________________________________________ 

1 

Bovine Tuberculosis Testing Requirements for Cattle Imported to the United 

States from Mexico

1. Purpose and Background 

This document outlines the bovine tuberculosis (TB) requirements for cattle imported from 

various regions within Mexico that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) 

has not yet classified for TB as described in title 9, Code of Federal Regulations (9 CFR) 

93.438. APHIS establishesimport TB requirements for cattle originating fromthese regions 

in accordance with the criteria outlined in 9 CFR 93.437, 93.438(a), and 93.439. 

This document does not address additional import requirements related to cattle fever 

ticks or brucellosis. Those requirements are in 9 CFR 93.427, paragraphs (b)(1) and (b)(2), 

and 9 CFR 93.442, respectively. Additional protocols for importing cattle and bison from 

Mexico into the United States address other import requirements.

Pursuant to the Congressional Review Act (5 U.S.C. § 801 et seq.), the Office of Information 

and Regulatory Affairs designated this rule as a non-major rule, as defined by 5 U.S.C. §

804(2).

2. Document Status 

A. Review date: 07/01/2023. 

B. This document replaces Veterinary Services Bulletin 2022.1. 

3. Reason for Reissuance 

On March 3, 2023, APHIS published a final rule which formally classified the TB status of all 

of Mexico except one eligible region, San Luis Potosí Zone A1 (SLPA1) 1, which remains 

unclassified pending further APHIS review. As indicated in the final rule, APHIS is 

temporarily allowing importation of cattle from eligible foreign regions to continue under 

administrative measures such as this Bulletin while completing the notice-based regulatory 

process to formally classify their TB status. 

Veterinary Services (VS) has updated this document to remove references to the eligible 

regions classified in the March 2023 final notice: Chihuahua (Level III), Coahuila (Level IV), 

Durango (Level III), Huasteca (Level III), Sonora (Level II), Tamaulipas (Level IV), and the 

Yucatán Peninsula (Level III). The final rule classified the rest of Mexico, except San Luis 

Potosí Zone A1, as Level V for TB. APHIS also classified Nuevo León as Level IV in the final 

notice but subsequently downgraded that region to Level V effective December 1, 2023

after detecting substantial TB program deficiencies. San Luis Potosí Zone A1 may continue 

1 For purposes of this Bulletin, VS is treating SLPA1 as equivalent to Level IV under the classification system set forth 

in 9 CFR 9 CFR 93.437 and 9 CFR 93.439.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Marketing and Regulatory Programs

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Veterinary Services 

VS Bulletin 2023.1 

_______________________________________________________________ 

2 

to export cattle to the United States in accordance with this Bulletin until such time as 

APHIS formally classifies the region under the TB regulations. 

4. Authority and References 

A. Authorities (Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)):

7 CFR 371.4

9 CFR 93.400

9 CFR 93.437

9 CFR 93.438(d)

9 CFR 93.439

B. Definitions:

1) The following terms used throughout this document are further defined in 9 CFR 

93.400 and in individual import protocols found on the APHIS website: 

• Accredited Herd

• Herd of Origin

• Whole Herd Test (WHT)

2) Level IV (previously accreditation preparatory) regions: This classification defines 

the area (a State or a zone within a State with split status) that meets the 

requirements for Level IV status as outlined in 9 CFR 93.439. If a State contains 

more than one Level IV zone, the zones are referred to numerically (e.g., Level IV

zones 1 and 2).

5. Audience 

VS employees, other Federal and State agencies, and members of the public.

6. Direction 

A. Import Testing Requirements

TB classification and testing requirements for Mexican regions classified under current 

regulations can be found in 9 CFR 93.439; classified regions are listed on the APHIS 

Animal Health Status of Regions webpage. 

Cattle for immediate slaughter can originate from accredited or nonaccredited regions. 

However, Mexico requires that these animals be TB tested before export to the United 

States. TB test charts must accompany the shipment at the time of presentation for 

entry to the United States. Note: When APHIS published this Bulletin it had not 

approved any immediate slaughter establishments for Mexican-origin cattle. APHIS will 

list any subsequently approved establishments on its website. 

 
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Marketing and Regulatory Programs

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Veterinary Services 

VS Bulletin 2023.1 

_______________________________________________________________ 

3 

B. Cattle from States and Zones with Level IV Status

The following information pertains to eligible Mexican regions that have not yet been 

classified under the current regulations.

San Luis Potosí Zone A1*

NOTE: All TB testing for export, including any required whole herd tests, must be 

performed by a veterinarian who meets the minimum standard for caudal fold 

tuberculin (CFT) testing. Mexican Federal authorities maintain an online list of 

veterinarians eligible to conduct CFT testing for export (Lista de Desempeño de la PPC 

con Fines de Exportación a EUA). 

Type of Cattle Import Requirements 

Steers and spayed heifers 

1. One negative individual TB test within sixty (60)

days of import.

2. Negative TB test within the past twelve (12) 

months for the herd of origin.

Steers and spayed heifers from 

TB accredited-free herds 

1. One negative individual TB test within sixty (60)

days of import. 

2. The port veterinarian must receive proof of TB 

accredited-free herd status. 

Sexually intact cattle 

1. One negative individual TB test at the border.

2. Two negative whole herd tests for tuberculosis 

for the herd of origin. Tests must be conducted 

no less than nine (9) months and no more than 

fifteen (15) months apart, with the second whole 

herd test conducted no less than sixty (60) days 

and no more than twelve (12) months prior to 

export. 

Sexually intact cattle from TB 

accredited-free herds

1. One negative individual TB test at the border.

2. The port veterinarian must receive proof of TB 

accredited-free herd status.

Wild-caught rodeo or roping 

steers and spayed heifers (also 

known as Corriente cattle)

1. One negative TB test of entire lot of assembled 

cattle at the beginning of the isolation period.

2. Negative individual TB test conducted a minimum 

of one hundred and twenty (120) days after the first 

test. The cattle must be exported within sixty (60) 

days of the last test.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Marketing and Regulatory Programs

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Veterinary Services 

VS Bulletin 2023.1 

_______________________________________________________________ 

4

*VS has regionalized the State of San Luis Potosi into two zones: One San Luis Potosi AP 

zone (A1) consisting of the twenty-five (25) municipalities listed below, and one San Luis 

Potosi NA zone consisting of the remaining municipalities in the State. 

Municipalities Comprising San Luis Potosí AP Zone (A1): 

Alanquines

Aquismon

Axtla

Cardenas

Ciudad del Maiz

Ciudad Valles

Coxcatlan

El Naranjo

Huehuetlan

Lagunillas

Matlapa

Rayon 

San Antonio

San Martin Chalchicuautla

Santa Catarina

San Vicente Tancuayalab*

Tamasopo

Tamazunchale

Tampacan

Tampamolon

Tamuin*

Tancanhuitz

Tanlajas

Tanquian de Escobedo

Xilitla

*Municipality split into separate AP and NA zones.

 

7. Inquiries 

Please contact the Veterinary Services Live Animals Imports staff, at 301-851-3300, Menu 

option 2; LAIE@usda.gov with any questions.